Hi! My name is MC Griffin. I've started this GoFundMe to help my sister-from-another-mister get some emergency dental work done! You probably know Alisha! On top of being a fantastic mother to two very cool kids,  she's my creative partner and has provided essential help with many of my odd little projects.  She suffered an unexpected tooth infection so we're asking for help in covering the cost to fix her teeth and help prevent further issues with her winning smile!

That's the short, fun version.

The truth is, this little fund-raising campaign might not even be necessary if this dental catastrophe hadn't struck at the exact worst time. Alisha is presently homeless, staying with me in LA until she can gather enough resources to return home and be closer to her kids. Even when she was housed, she was already struggling with money and work, trying to find a way to a permanent home to have her kids. Then the pandemic struck, and she became one of the victims. She has fully recovered now, but it set her back even further.

What followed was a mad dash for resources and a series of blows - from her work hours being cut due to the economic downturn, and then unemployment being delayed.  Things were already bleak, she was stretching herself too thin. Even though I'm grateful to help with a place to stay, it was hell to watch her go through so much misfortune in such a short amount of time.

Then bam. She got her tooth infection. Days of agony, working with MediCal (who could only cover an extraction) to find a suitable dentist, the whole time knowing appointments weren't for at least a few days while enduring intense pain. Thankfully, we were able to get the infection- an old root canal- treated. But there's still more work to be done to prevent future even-more-costly complications.

We needed a root canal specialist to handle the work. We found A to Z Dental Group out of Chatsworth. When they assessed the damage, they found that her dental hygiene was fine,  but that the damage from a lifetime of tooth-grinding had taken a toll. Alisha has worn a night guard every night since she was a little girl growing up in foster care. When she was young,  she was only allowed a sports mouth guard (like the ones athletes wear.) The dentist, Dr Zadfar could tell right away when assessing her teeth. He remarked "You must have had a very stressful childhood." We like these guys.

They've been kind enough to work with us since MediCal won't cover it. Even with bringing the cost down a bit for us, it's a lot of money. Over $3,000 for each tooth (That's for both top biscuspids- a bone graft, stent and implant each.) We'd be extremely grateful for any help in shouldering these costs. The second tooth won't be handled for a few months, but the first is being taken care of in the coming weeks. If we can make even half our goal, it would be a HUGE relief.

Thank you so much, friends. Any little bit of help would be incredible. If you need a more comprehensive breakdown of the costs/dental surgery schedule, please reach out.